I did not read book 1 so i can only base this off the info i got from book 2 alone. I enjoyed the dual POV with this one-Jess now & Hal in the 1980s. I really liked the shocking twists & turns throughout the book. I had absolutely no idea how this was gonna end. This was one of the most compelling thrillers I've ever read. very well written.

Public Service Announcement: the new @erykpruitt joint dropped today, so do what’s right and get on that! The follow up to Something Bad Wrong assures is that we are in the midst of a Blood Red Summer. Eryk has a standing reservation in my library and my #TBR, as I am already neck deep in the mystery. Cheers to Eyrk on his release day, and here’s to losing myself in another Pruitt yarn.

If you loved the first book in this series, then Book 2 will feel like an absolute treat. I was excited to dive back into Jess’s world, where her determination to uncover the truth and get the story right continues to shine. While this series has standalone books, I highly recommend reading book 1 first, as Book 2 does contain spoilers that will spoil the plot twists and character development from the first book.

In this installment, Jess finds herself in a very different place than she was in the previous book. In book 1, Jess was a solo podcaster, chasing her own narrative and framing each episode in the way she saw fit. She worked with a partner, but ultimately, it was her story to tell. However, in Book 2, Jess has joined a backer/financer company, and they are now the ones calling the shots. When her preferred story isn’t considered “juicy enough” and no one will talk to her about it, Jess is forced to pivot and search for another lead.

The shift in Jess’s situation adds an extra layer of intrigue and tension to this book. I found myself just as captivated by her quest for the truth as I did in book 1, if not more. The dual POV structure was executed brilliantly, with Jess’s “now” perspective contrasting against Hal’s story from the early 1980s. Both characters are reporters in their own right, chasing down leads and uncovering secrets, and their alternating points of view kept me hooked. The shifting timelines created a compelling narrative full of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end.

I was completely sucked into the mystery, with each new reveal coming as a complete shock. I love a good, addictive story, and this one didn’t disappoint. The audiobook narration was also superb, bringing the characters and their worlds to life in a way that enhanced the experience even further.

Overall, I couldn’t put this book down. The writing, the pacing, and the dual POV structure worked together so well to create a story that kept me on the edge of my seat. I highly recommend this book to fans of mystery, suspense, and well-developed characters. If you haven’t started this series yet, make sure to check out book 1 before diving into this one!

#ARC #NetGalley

Blood Red Summer is the second book in the Jess Keeler series, I hadn't read the first book and whilst it wasn't necessary, I think I would have benefitted from doing so, so I had a full picture of Jess up until that point as I read some reviews by others that commented on changes to the character between the books

That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed Blood Red Summer

Books being told by dual (or multiple) POV's are automatically better in my opinion, I enjoyed reading from both Jess (present day) and Hal (1980's) POV

The book was a page turner, with plenty of twists and turns to keep me interested

This was book 2 in the Jess Keeler series and is a great addition. The story takes us through the events of a harsh summer in 1984 Virginia. The plot is cleverly crafted, weaving together dual timelines and multiple viewpoints, with tension that builds steadily. I enjoyed following along as Jess uncovered the truth behind a wrongful conviction.
Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I could not get into this book. I enjoyed the first book with the main character Jess, but for some reason this book fell flat for me. I did not find the story engaging enough to finish. This book was not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Blood Red Summer by Eryk Pruitt!

Very enjoyable and fast read. Exactly what some crime fiction fans will want to see in a novel. Lots to parse out and plenty of questions and answers. Well written by Pruitt. Can't wait for his next.

True to form, I didn't realize that this was the second in a series, but you don't need to read the first book to get into this one. Jess is a true crime podcaster turned independent tv reporter after the success of solving a cold case. Jess finds herself intrigued by a story of a black man accused of being a sniper and killing 5 people in the "Back Back," a poor Black neighborhood. The story and timelines don't add up and she wants to pursue the story, but her video career is being financed by the backers of her show and they pull her off of it to run a story/ investigation into the murder of a bootlegger. As she unravels that story, she realizes that the stories are related and covertly goes back to the sniper story to find the truth.

Told in two POV of Jess in present time and Hal, a reporter in the 1980s, who was one of the last people to see the bootlegger alive. Hal strives to find out the truth before he gets arrested for the grisly murder. This story starts out twisty and just gets more intwined between the two stories. I enjoyed the police procedural/ true crime thriller. Jess is a well-developed character and I liked how she strives to find out the truth.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this eARC. Blood Red Summer is out now.

All of Eryk Pruitt's books have been fascinating southern noir thrillers that are captivating. This one is no different. Full of intriguing, mystery, and is a nonstop, brilliant read.

I found this one to be significantly better than the first in the series, with more cohesive storytelling and an excellent emphasis on the characters. This second in the series makes me want to continue reading Jess Keeler stories.

Thank you to the author, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My apologies for the delay in posting this review, I had a bit too much going on.

I enjoyed the author's first book, and this one is even better - the flow is smoother and the characters were more fully developed. The protagonist, who was a novice podcaster in the first book, is now fully immersed in the big business of true crime reporting and investigations. This means strictures and demands for sensationalism that sells, while the protagonist is oriented toward using the means at her disposal to seek justice in a cold case. The story is told in two timelines, the present day and the time of the cold case and is a gripping read as not much seems to have changed with police corruption and racial stereotyping and profiling - sadly, this reads true to life.

I had read the first book in the series and enjoyed it enough to read Book 2. I had some issues with the book. Unfortunately, I felt that the main mystery was overly-complicated. I understand that the point was that a number of seemingly unconnected events were all part of the same mystery, but the way the puzzle pieces fit together just didn't work for me. There's still one part that isn't sitting right with me the morning after finishing. I also had some issues with the way a few characters were written. The main character's son was supposedly a couple years out of high school (so around 20?) but was written and treated like a 12 year-old. The reporter sounded like he was living in a 1940s Bogart movie, but was living in 1984. So that kind of took me out of the story. And the inevitable betrayal by one character, while telegraphed, seemed to lack motivation. You knew it was coming, but were left asking why it happened. All in all, didn't love it, didn't hate it. Probably won't bother if there are others in the series.

I didn’t love this book. I didn’t hate it either.
The dialogue was not the best but the story was thrilling and twisty. I think for those who love the whole police procedure/journalist vibes in a thriller, this will be a winner. I don’t always get into those. The POVs on different eras was really fun and I did enjoy the characters. 3.5⭐️

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. The storyline was incredible! The story is told in multiple POVs/ timelines and was very well crafted. The characters were well developed and relatable. I have not read book one but will definitely be reading it right away. Looking forward to more from this author!! Highly recommend

I really enjoyed the first one in this series so it felt like a treat to get a book 2. I just love Jess and her want to find the truth and get the story right. And, while this series has books that stand well on their own, this one would have spoilers for book 1 if you hadn't already read it.

We find Jess in a very different spot here than we did in book 1. In book 1, she was chasing the story she chose and framing each episode of her podcast how she wanted. Sure, she had a partner she had to work with but they worked together well to frame it and it worked.

This one finds Jess in a different spot. She's joined a backer/financer company and they are calling the shots. When the story she wants to chase is pushed aside because it's not juicy enough (and no one will talk to her about it), she's forced to move on a find another lead.

I absolutely loved this one. It's two POV - Jess in the now and Hal in the early 1980's. Hal is also a reporter and he's also chasing down leads. Their two dual POV really gave us the full story with each shocking twist and turn. I was completely sucked in, just like book 1, and I had no idea where the turns would go. Addictive and compelling, I loved the audiobook narrators and the compelling storyline. I highly recommend it!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

A podcaster wanting to move to videocasting when a sister comes to her saying her brother has been sitting in prison for 40 years for something she is sure he didn't do. She encounters resistance from her friend, a former police officer, and others but she won't be stopped. This was an interesting story. I enjoyed the characters and the way the case evolved.

Blood Red Summer is the first book that I've read by Mr. Pruitt and I'm so happy I donwloaded it! The story is told from several points of view, sometimes they are complimentary in others they are antagonistic. Jess is the portrait of nowadays true crime blogger and she will learn that sometimes truth is not the better option to divulge and that being a producer might not be what she's best suited for depending on who she is partnering with. I loved Hal's character, he is an investigative journalist that although being a bit sensationalist is a relentless pursuer of truth and justice and he'll pay dearly for these traits. This book has a great and relatable storyline, it's well-written and engaging, and I highly recommend it!
I thank the author, his publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

I loved Something Bad Wrong, the previous Jess Keeler novel. In the previous novel she is a podcaster solving a very old cold case (and the book is based on a real-life murder mystery).

Here we find Jess Keeler procuring funding for a televised series and finds a case that is odd with many twists and turns. Unfortunately, the backers of the podcast want to dramatize the story with falsehoods and exaggerations, which Keeler battles off, for the most part, the best she can.

Keeler originally wanted to do the podcast on an unsolved series of murders by a sniper in the "Back Back" an impoverished black community and she aims to free a convicted suspect that she believes is innocent. That idea gets shut down by the money men (both backers are German men). Instead, she pivots to the brutal murder of a bootlegger and his friends which remains unsolved. As the story unravels, she starts to realize that the two cases are interrelated and starts to switch back, surreptitiously, to the snipper story. With consequences.

The story moves back and forth from the present to the past when the actual murders take place with an older, grizzled, and somewhat unconventional reporter, Hal Broadstreet, is also investigating the murders of the bootlegger and starts tying them to the sniper case. It just so happens he was drinking and playing cards with the bootlegger and his friends right before the murders happened. I found his storyline to be much more interesting than present day storyline.

As the story unfolds we see racism, police corruption, and murderous plots by law enforcement way up the food chain. And the ending of the book in present day is chilling.

Overall, I enjoyed the novel and essentially read it in one sitting. The only drawbacks is I found the overall web and "conspiracy" to be a bit unbelievable and Keeler not as together and focused as she was in the previous novel. Some of the plot devices to bring the story full-circle felt a little contrived, and the present day shenanigans of side characters associated with the "documentary" and Keeler seem a bit cliché. But I still the novel a great deal and would recommend it.

Has podcaster Jess Keeler sold out? Following the success of her podcast debut "Something Bad Wrong" (also the title of the first book in the series), Jess signs on as producer of a true crime documentary complete with film crew and an intern who care more about the "sizzle" that will sell the story to a distributor than in revealing the truth. Although Jess would prefer to work alone, she has personal reasons for needing the financial security that comes with the new job. When she and the crew decide they want to cover the long-forgotten story of the Lake Castor sniper, who killed 5 and injured a 6th victim in 1984, Jess gets unexpected push back from the retired sheriff she worked with on her first podcast. When a new unsolved case from the same period is dangled in front of the team with the promise of cooperation from the current sheriff, who worked the case, they shift their focus, Jess being more reluctant than the rest of them. The new case involves the slaughter of 3 bootleggers, and flashbacks told from the perspective of a local journalist suggest the involvement of a local motorcycle club. I didn't like that Jess seemed to be "phoning it in" for much of the book, as her dedication and meticulous research were a large part of what made the first book great, but her attitude underlines the disillusionment she starts to feel with the company she is working for and other members of her team. There is lots of action, however, and the different story lines, points of view, and timelines mesh nicely by the end.